Search age:

Search in:

Hearts melt as royals charm Canberra

Lisa Martin

Moira Lye's heart melted as she watched her young twin boys help the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge plant a tree at the National Arboretum.

The Canberra mother of five has terminal breast cancer and is about to start a final round of chemotherapy. For her, the family's close encounter with royalty was about creating a special memory they could hold close to their hearts in the tough months ahead.

Mrs Lye's six-year-old sons Oliver and Sebastian watered the English Oak Tree with matching red watering cans after Prince William and Kate shovelled in some soil.

Sebastian yelled out 'Oi Mum' as the twins held hands and shyly approached the royal couple.

Advertisement

Sebastian has Down Syndrome and is hearing and visually impaired.

"Well done, boys," William told the twins as the crowd clapped.

Mrs Lye didn't get a chance to meet the couple but if she did she would have offered this advice: "To cherish every moment with their little boy."

The oak was chosen because it is a symbol of England, representing strength and endurance.

Becky Facchin, 18, and Kirby Turnbull, 19, from Black Mountain, a special school, presented the pair with flowers and a hand made silk scarf and tie they made in art class.

"That's very colourful, very impressive," the Prince said.

It was a family tradition for Becky. Her mother met the Queen during a visit to Canberra in the 1970s.